PR Firm Rankings - Odwyerpr.com

FEATURE
Execs put ‘Great PR Recession’ behind them
By Kevin McCauley
Strike up the band because the Great
PR Recession is over. Economic stabilization
is the name of the game for
the remainder of the year as fear of a Wall
Street meltdown subsides and consumers
start to open their wallets. Growth lies
ahead in 2011 as the private sector begins a
hiring spree.
WPP CEO Martin Sorrell put it best, saying
“We have clearly moved from a period
of staring into the abyss.” Optimists say PR
stands on the cusp of a golden age, one
powered by advances in technology and a
deeper penetration of social media into
daily life. One thing is certain: executives
are glad that 2009, the worst year for PR in
a quarter century, is solidly behind them.
Richard Edelman, CEO of the No. 1
independent firm, says 2010 started off
with a bang as first-quarter revenues are up
in the “double digits.” The U.S. is especially
strong for Edelman, but that hasn’t
stopped the firm from tending its Asia operations.
Edelman recruited Ross Rowbury, former
COO of PRAP, Japan’s largest independent
PR firm, to head its Japanese operation.
The firm also hired H&K/Japan
President Kuniko Okuwaki for the
Deputy Managing Director slot.
Alan VanderMolen, President of
Edelman/Asia-Pacific, believes the
appointments solidify Edelman’s role as a
key player in the tough Japanese PR market.
Margery Kraus, CEO of No. 2 independent
APCO Worldwide, says the turnaround
began in the fourth-quarter of 2009 with
“significant new wins and account expansions.”
Western Union counts as a major `09
coup as Washington, D.C.-based APCO
picked up the business of the global payments
provider in Europe and the
Commonwealth of Independent States via a
hotly contested competitive pitch.
APCO also opened in Kuala Lumpur and
began work for the Government of
Malaysia to pitch its sophisticated and hitech
economy as a natural location for
expansion.
Kraus targets growth in the rebounding
financial sector as evidenced by last
month’s addition of John Dudzinsky to its
New York office. The 14-year veteran of
Kreab Gavin Anderson and Taylor Rafferty
is skilled in counseling initial public offerings,
mergers/acquisitions, crises and special
situations. That’s a good
complement to APCO’s
PA/government relations core.
Cooney/Waters is among a
handful of firms ranked by
O’Dwyer’s to post a solid performance
in 2009 as net fees at
the No. 10 firm soared 18 percent
to $12.3M.
“We experienced robust organic
growth from existing clients
who continued pursuit of their
long-term plans throughout the
year,” said CEO Lenore Cooney.
“As clients continue to place
value on agency partners that
have a depth of knowledge and
experience in complex health and
medical issues, the healthcare
communications specialty will
continue to grow.”
Widespread PR carnage
Seventy-four of the 133 firms
ranked by O’Dwyer’s suffered a
decline in `09 fees. Sixty-three of
them registered declines of at
least five percent. It was a bloodbath.
Edelman, which was down two percent
to $440.1M showed the smallest decline
among the Top Ten firms.
Text 100, the tech offering of Next 15
Group, posted the biggest decline in the
group, down 22% to $48.6M.
The firm is in the midst of a turnaround,
according to Next 15 CEO Tim Dyson. He
reported April 26 that overall revenues
advanced two percent during the six-month
period ended Jan. 31.
“The business has now recovered to prerecession
revenue levels and is headed in a
positive direction. Given current trading,
the board is confident that we will meet our
targets, which would result in a record year
for the group,” said Dyson.
Other decliners in the Top Ten are
Schwartz Communications (-19.8% to
$24.5M), ICR (-16% to $22M), APCO (-
10.8% to $100.3M), Gibbs & Soell (-12%
to $16.9M), Regan Communications (-
9.0% to $19.9M) and Ruder Finn (-7.2% to
$89.1M).
Allison forges ahead
San Francisco’s Allison & Partners partnered
with Cooney to show the only gains
in the Top Ten category. Scott Allison
enjoyed a 12.1% jump in fees to $14.7M.
He believes the firm’s positioning as an
entrepreneurial shop that “provides clients
with a constant influx of fresh ideas that
uncover new business opportunities”
Atomic PR handles a Polaroid tie-in with Lady Gaga.
proved to be a blessing in the lean 2009
economy.
Clients were looking for “less bureaucracy
and a focus on quantifiable results.”
Allison reports growth across its consumer,
technology and healthcare sectors.
The firm picked up business from
L’Oreal USA, Johnny Rocket’s and the
Hard Rock Hotel San Diego and more work
from long-term clients including Best
Western (NASCAR and Jonas Brothers
promotion), Progressive Insurance and the
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas.
Healthcare was buoyed by continued
work from PhRMA and the Healthcare
Leadership Council, plus new clients
including GE Healthcare, Healthways, and
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
The year closed out with a significant
public health win, California Health
Department’s California Anti-Tobacco
campaign.
On the technology front, Allison scored a
win with Samsung Information Technology
Division and increased work from Trend
Micro and MagTek and social network platform
Ning.
Allison says the firm made significant
executive moves during the past year. It
named Brian Feldman, General Manager in
Atlanta and Washington, D.C., Partner;
added Tom Biro from MTV to head its new
Seattle office; Cathy Planchard as General
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